Lesley Wilson, 54, says a Louisiana justice of the peace hearing forced her to sign a deal to leave her home a month later and forfeit her deposit after her landlord moved to evict her following a domestic violence incident.
At the 40-minute library hearing, Wilson says the judge wanted to "wrap this up quick", allowed her restrained ex-partner to testify by phone, and threatened a three-month appeal bond she could not afford.
Wilson has sued the judge and landlord in federal court, alleging due-process violations and coercion; both deny wrongdoing and are seeking dismissal, with the judge also asserting judicial immunity.
The case sits inside a broader Louisiana system where non-lawyer justices can hear evictions in informal venues, and state records for 2024-2025 showed 98 justices and 142 constables missed mandatory training.
After the case, Wilson moved about 400 miles to Texas, later to Colorado, and was separated from her 11-year-old granddaughter for more than seven months before returning to Louisiana.
How did a domestic violence survivor lose her home in a makeshift courtroom funded by fees that incentivize her eviction?
What hidden legal loopholes allow landlords to weaponize domestic violence incidents to rapidly evict vulnerable tenants without standard due process?
Justice for Sale: The Human and Legal Costs of Louisiana’s Fee-Based Eviction Courts
Overview
Louisiana’s justice of the peace courts operate under a unique system where judges directly keep court fees, creating strong financial incentives to process evictions quickly and favor landlords. This fee-based pay structure has led some part-time judges to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, far more than full-time state judges. With minimal legal qualifications required, these courts often hold rapid hearings without legal experts, accept unverified claims, and issue default judgments in seconds. Tenants, especially low-income and vulnerable individuals, face steep barriers to appeal and defense. Recent reforms, like mandatory training, have been criticized as superficial, while federal lawsuits challenge the constitutionality of this system.